Allentown home-invasion beating case proceeds to trial

Pedro Louis Hernandez

CHRIS SHIPLEY, SPECIAL TO THE MORNING CALL

Pedro Louis Hernandez, 22, of Allentown is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment, burglary, criminal trespassing and conspiracy for his alleged role in a Sept. 24 attack in the 1200 block of North Van Buren Street.

Pedro Louis Hernandez, 22, of Allentown is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment, burglary, criminal trespassing and conspiracy for his alleged role in a Sept. 24 attack in the 1200 block of North Van Buren Street. (CHRIS SHIPLEY, SPECIAL TO THE MORNING CALL)

A 22-year-old woman and two 22-year-old men charged with barging into an east Allentown home in September and jumping a 17-year-old boy, his girlfriend and the boy's mother gave up their right to a preliminary hearing Friday.

Another man, Mussaline Ventura Jr., 18, had his hearing postponed. Last week, two 17-year-old girls also charged in the attack were adjudicated in juvenile court on criminal trespass and simple assault and were placed on electronic monitoring, according to Assistant District Attorney Jeff Burd.

Authorities said one of the teen girls had been in a two-year relationship with the 17-year-old boy, but it ended on a sour note. The group allegedly barged into the boy's home the morning of Sept. 24, breaking a window to get inside and then attacked all three people inside.

When police arrived, they found a broken front window and signs of a struggle in the living room and dining room.

The boy was punched 20 to 40 times and kicked several more times in the head while he was on the floor, his mother was kicked in the head multiple times and suffered an injury to her vertebrae, and the boy's new girlfriend was also beaten by the group, police said.

The boy and his new girlfriend were treated at the scene, but his mom was hospitalized.

The ex-girlfriend also threatened the new girlfriend, telling her she could have her killed at any time, according to court records.